In Love with the Jerk
by Oranges and Strawberries
Summary: His goal was to use her to get his ex back. Her biggest mistake was falling in love, even though she knew he wouldn't love her back. "My biggest mistake wasn't falling for you, it was thinking that you had fallen for me too." More than meets the eye.
1. Act I

In love with the Jerk

A Gakuen Alice FanFiction

A/N: Alright, so this isn't my first fanfic. I've got a lot in a notebook, and I'm inspired to write another GA fic. I created a new account, and seriously, I think I've got issues with typing and updating. Please give me about a week or two to update, and don't hesitate to press the review button below!

I've got one more thing to say. This story is more than meets the eye. This **MAY** look like an average love story to you, but I hope you'll read the other parts.

Disclaimer: Disclaimed. I only own the plot and my OC/s to be revealed in other chapters.

Beta by Shimmering

* * *

Act I – Meeting the Transferee: Partner Activity

Alice Academy's class 2B of the Middle School Division is expecting a new student today. The whispers were getting louder and louder, as homeroom's time crept nearer. Suddenly, Alice Academy's Black Cat, along with his best friend, entered the room. The class piped down a bit at the sight of the two boys. The raven-haired fire caster, who had piercing crimson eyes was wearing the standard uniform, minus the tie. He slumped on his seat at the back. Meanwhile, the blonde, who has charming azure eyes, also wearing the uniform and carrying his rabbit, Usagi, sat beside his best friend. Before Natsume could fall asleep from boredom, a blonde with amethyst eyes and was wearing an outrageous outfit, fit for a prince, waltz into the room.

"Ohayou, my lovely students!" Narumi Anjo, class 2B's homeroom and English teacher exclaimed as he walked to the table at the front.

"Don't you ever get tired of the stupid greeting?" Natsume murmured, as he used his hand to support his face. Natsume then looked, more like glared at the teacher, causing him to animatedly sweatdrop.

The cross-dressing teacher straightened up, and gave his students a huge smile. "We have a new student today." The class went silent and all eyes were on him. "Please welcome your new classmate, Sakura Mikan-chan!"

As the teacher motioned for the student to come in, a coffee-coloured ponytailed girl walked into the room. Her glassy hazel eyes looked sweet and like most girls, she was wearing the academy's standard uniform for the middle school division,. The short academy skirt revealed her long, slender legs, and the uniform itself showed the right amount of curves, making some of the boys immediately dumbstruck.

The brunette came to a halt beside the blonde teacher, her lips curved upwards to flash the students a perfectly toothed smile, and said, "Good Morning, everyone! I'm Sakura Mikan, but please call me Mikan. I hope we could all be friends!"

Narumi then gave her a small smile and said, "Well then, I suppose you need a partner." He put his hand to his chin and with mockery 'hmm..' he suddenly exclaimed, "Mikan-chan, please take a seat beside Natsume-kun at the back. Ruka-kun, please raise your hand," Ruka then raised his hand, and the teacher continued, "Natsume-kun is the person at Ruka-kun's right please take the seat at the end, okay?"

The brunette thanked the teacher by bowing her head slightly and proceeded to take her seat beside the flame caster. She faced him and said, "Hi, Natsume-kun! Let's be friends okay?"

The raven haired boy resumed his previous position, preparing himself for a nap. "Shut up." He said, never looking at the brunette.

The brunette seeing his reaction, puffed her cheeks and said, "and I was trying to be nice." She turned to a raven haired girl, known as the Blackmailing queen of Alice Academy, Imai Hotaru.

"Hotaru!" she exclaimed, and hugged her. Hotaru didn't seem to acknowledge the fact that a cute brunette was clinging to her neck. She wouldn't admit it, but she felt a tingle of happiness inside at the sight of her best friend. They last saw each other 2 years, which was when Hotaru got her student award.

* * *

Homeroom ended quickly because Narumi gave them free period and people began crowding around Mikan after her little episode with Hotaru. Questions such as 'how do you know Imai-san?' and 'where did you get your hair done?' were being thrown around the place. Natsume was never one with crowds and noise, and it began to drive his head in. He went out of the room, not before slamming the back door. Mikan misinterpreted the action and decided to try and cheer him up later.

Mikan was already popular by the end of the day. She patiently answered all the questions asked. When Narumi called for Mikan to be assigned her rank, she was given triple star, in which Narumi explained that she was better than the rest considering that she was only a middle school student. Narumi explained what star rank was, no star, being the lowest and special being the highest. The blonde teacher also told her that single star was needed to graduate elementary, double star for middle school, and triple star for high school. He also explained to her that special star was for executives, meaning people with high grades and mastery over their Alices.

The brunette was thrilled with her rank, but before going to her own triple star dorm, she asked him, "Sensei, is there anybody who got the special star rank?"

Narumi patted her head, and said, "Every person in the student council has it, Mikan-chan. And there are only two people with the special star in the Middle School division." Mikan pouted in fustration.

"Who are they, sensei?" Mikan said, bobbing up and down.

Narumi patted Mikan's head again and answered, "One is Imai-san, and the other one is Natsume-kun."

Delighted upon hearing her best friend's name, Mikan smiled a 100-watt smile and gave the blonde teacher her goodbye. She decided to push through with her plan of cheering up Natsume.

The ever-so-cheery brunette made her way to class 2B to ask for directions. She called Tobita Yuu, or Iinchou, as he was known, and asked where she could find the fire caster.

"Well.. No one really know where he goes... But usually, he's reading under the Sakura tree or in his room..." Yuu stuttered as he fixed his glasses. "Those are the only places I know. I'm sorry I'm not much help, Mikan-san."

The brunette smiled at the class representative and said, "No, you were a lot of help, Iinchou! I give you my thanks. I need to go now, see you!" as she ran off.

The said flame caster's location was under the Sakura tree, much to Mikan's glee. He was on the branch, reading a manga. When the black cat sensed a presence in the area, he went higher, up the branches and conjured a flame.

"Who's down there?" he said, with a menacing glare below.

The brunette then went under the tree and looked up. "Hi, Natsume! It's me, Mikan!" she said, smiling at him.

Natsume extinguished his flame and just went back to his position below and said, "Go away."

Mikan pouted and said, "I'm sitting here and you can't stop me!" She sat at the base of the tree, much to Natsume's dismay. "And I'm following you until you talk to me."

"Shut up, annoying girl." He said, getting ready to jump down. "It's better for someone stupid like you to leave me alone." Natsume glared at the girl below the Sakura tree.

Mikan, being stubborn looked at him, and shook, because his glare was sending chills to her spine. "N-Natsume, y-you won't get k-killed talking to m-me, right?" she stammered. "N-no, nobody g-gets killed b-by talking so w-why are you being Mr Anti-Social?"

'Tsk. Just leave me alone.' The raven haired boy thought. "You're obviously freaking out. As I've said, go away, stupid." He told her.

The brunette snapped at the insult. "Oh come on! I just wanted to make a new friend, Natsume! See, I even asked around just to find that you're always at this Sakura tree!" she then pouted cutely below. After she said that, a blonde came rushing to the said tree. Holding his rabbit, he motioned for the fire caster to notice him, but the brunette gave the blonde her greeting first. "Hi, Ruka-pyon!" she said as she gave him another 100-watt smile just like she did with Narumi-sensei.

"Ruka-pyon..?" the blonde said with confusion, but shook it off. "Oh… Hi too, Sakura-san."

Still smiling, she poked the bunny, which she assumed as 'super cute' and looked at Ruka. She pointed at him and said, "Ruka-" and then pointed to the bunny and said, "-pyon. Besides, you always carry him around!" She glanced at the fire caster but looked at the blonde again. "Call me Mikan too! I'm not really used with being called with honorifics, Ruka-pyon."

"You're too noisy, baka." The raven haired boy said, and jumped to the ground, and landed as if he didn't jump as good 10-feet distance. "Let's go, Ruka."

"Mou, Natsume!" She said, and went back to pouting.

Ruka was telling Natsume not to suddenly go, since it was rude. The crimson-eyed boy didn't seem to give a damn, and just went on walking. "Bye, Sakura-san. I'm sorry for Natsume's behaviour though."

Natsume, feeling that Ruka shouldn't have apologized in his behalf, looked behind, gave the brunette an annoyed look and said, "You're too loud, Megaphone."

The brunette was definitely pissed, which was clearly evident on her face. "Natsume!" she screamed. She then dumped her plans of cheering Natsume up and stormed to her triple star dorm.

* * *

"He's such a jerk." Mikan said, sulking in her room. Suddenly, a knock came on her door. "Coming~" she said, as she walked towards the door and opened it. "HOTARU!" she exclaimed. The said brunette tried to hug the ingenious inventor and much to her dismay, the blackmailer dodged it. Mikan, on the other hand, landed roughly on the carpet of the Middle School dorm hallways, and pretty much cleaned it a little already. "Mou, Hotaru! Not you too!"

"First of all, because you hugged me earlier, it's best not to push your luck. Second, I bet you already tried to talk to Hyuuga but you ended up being pushed away by the cold-hearted jerk, because I pretty much heard you say 'not you too'. Am I right?"

Mikan then put on an astonished face. "How did you know, Hotaru!" Mikan then beamed at her best friend and said, "You truly are the best! I'm so proud of my Hotaru! Now I know why you're a special star." Mikan then remembered the other special star student in the middle school division, and added, "But I don't get why Natsume's a special star though, Hotaru…"

"Since when did I become yours, Baka? And of course I am. They couldn't doubt my skills, Mikan, no one can. Concerning Hyuuga, I don't really care about the jerk, but he's smart for someone who isn't me. But I'm smarter, of course. He could also manipulate his fire Alice pretty well." Hotaru drawled before a small smirk on her face.

"Of course you are! No one could be better than my Hotaru! And you've always been mine!" Mikan continued, with a smile plastered on her face. "A hug?" she pleaded, with a cute expression.

The inventor couldn't refuse her best friend, and just said, "Come here, dummy." And the brunette hugged her tightly, as the amethyst-eyed girl returned the hug.

* * *

The next day, the brunette woke up extra early so she wouldn't be late on her second day. When Mikan was little, she was frequently late for classes. After her morning rituals, she got her stuff and locked her dorm. The hazel-eyed girl happily skipped along the long hallways of the academy, not forgetting to greet people, even her newly-formed fan club full of fan boys. She then entered the door, revealing only a sleeping fire caster and an animal-lover.

"Ohayou, Ruka-pyon and Natsume!" she greeted cheerfully. She smiled at the two and took her seat beside Natsume. 'Where's Hotaru?' the brunette thought.

"Again with the loudness, Megaphone." Natsume said irritably. The crimson eyed boy glanced at the person beside him. It was the first time the fire caster got a close look at his new seatmate. He took note of what he thought was easy-to-read eyes, perfectly pointed nose, and most likely, her 'kissable' lips. 'Brush away the stupid thoughts. Tch.' He thought.

"Who are you calling a megaphone, stupid!" Mikan threw him an annoyed look.

Natsume returned the annoyed look, with a glare. "I'm not the stupid one here, Megaphone. Now shut up." The smell of burning hair began to emit and he quickly extinguished it before it burnt her more.

"You jerk!" Mikan yelled, as she tended the damaged ends of her hair. "You're lucky you caught me off-guard. After I master my Alice, you'll never be able to burn me again!" She said, and showed her tongue at him.

"You're so annoying, you idiot." Natsume said icily.

Mikan then thought of a plan and said, "Well then, you'll be annoyed whether you like it to or not. I'll be following you!" and then she smiled triumphantly.

"Whatever, do what you want." He said, and then read his manga.

After Mikan told Natsume of her plan, the rest of the 2B were filling in the classroom. She then saw Hotaru and greeted her with a smile, remembering not to hug since she'd get hit by the inventor's baka gun.

5 minutes passed by and Narumi entered Class 2B's room with a smile. "Ohayou, my lovely students!" he greeted once again.

Mikan, seeing as Natsume's eyebrow twitched, decided to ask him why. "Anything wrong, Natsume?"

"Mind your own business." He said, and looked away from the brunette.

Mikan again pouted and said, "Okay, if that's what you want." with a sigh.

"Everyone, eyes here!" The blonde teacher said. Almost the whole class, except Natsume, looked at the teacher, not wanting to be a victim of Narumi's pheromones. "Alright, so you all know who your partner is. Now I'd like you to face your partner and I'll be putting you all on an activity." Narumi then looked at Mikan and said, "Your partner is Natsume-kun, okay?" earning disappointed sighs and groans from who Mikan assumed were Natsume's fan girls. Mikan didn't deny the fact that she was first mesmerized the fire caster's appearance, but she, unlike the other girls, she doesn't go gaga over Natsume.

Mikan then faced Natsume and smiled at him, "That's great, though. I could talk to you more and know more about you!" she said in glee.

"Tch. I'd like to see you try, Megaphone." Natsume said in annoyance.

"Oh come on, Natsume!" she then pouted. "It's going to be fun!"

Narumi then silenced the class and said, "The Middle School Principal provided us a portion of the Eastern Woods to use for the activity. I'd like you all to line up and we'll get on a bus. I've already told you days ago that this is the only thing you'll be doing the whole day. Make sure to enjoy yourselves, alright?"

* * *

Class 2B arrived at the Eastern woods, excited for their activity. Well, not all, but you get the idea. 'Most of them' are the proper way to put it. "Alright, class! The flags around the area, planted by the high school students as the principal requested, are the boundaries. I know Giant Piyo's in the Northern woods, but you'll never know. Each flag is 3 meters apart. The flag's appearance is triangular, with red and orange linings. You'll notice a rectangular flag one you meet a corner. The area set for us is a rectangle, so don't get confused. Any questions so far?" The class was silent so the blonde teacher spoke again. "Seeing as how there are a lot of trees in here, you'll need to use your Alice to get a ribbon on a branch of a tree. It's a test of mastery over your Alices. The trees are embedded with an electric, ice or immobilization Alice so you shouldn't climb it. I'll be giving you all 7 colors to find and I expect you all to be here at four. Is that clear?"

"Hai, Narumi-sensei!" the class chorused.

Mikan jumped in glee and said to Natsume, "This is fun! Although I'll be relying on you Natsume…" She trailed off.

"Whatever." He said, and walked off.

The brunette then hurried off to the teacher and got a list of colors. She then dashed to where her partner is. "Natsume, I got the list!"

The raven face-palmed and said, "Quit the noise, you idiot!"

"Be nice for a change." Mikan said, and caught a glimpse of a ribbon. "Wait, Natsume!" When she saw that the fire caster stopped, she then checked the list for the color. "Where's red… where's red… Oh! There it is!" she then looked at the raven haired boy and said, "Hey, Natsume! I found one!"

"Tch, I don't have time for this." He then burned the branch off and Mikan got the ribbon. The truth is he just went on a mission last night and finished at dawn, so he was quite sleepy at that time.

Mikan looked at the crimson-eyed boy when he yawned and said, "You look tired."

"No need to point out the obvious, idiot." Natsume said.

The brunette sighed and did as she was told and said, "Okay, you rest there. I need to talk to sensei and we'll stop."

"You're really stupid." He said and slumped slightly burnt tree.

"Look, I'm already doing you a favour and you're calling me stupid! Give me a break." She said, pouting.

Natsume sighed and closed his eyes. "Quit talking for a second, would you?" He felt like snapping, but he couldn't. He knew that the girl beside him was worried. He just stood up and said, "Come on, let's continue this, Megaphone."

"Natsume!" she yelled. Mikan grabbed his hand and said, "Rest for a while, you idiot!"

The fire caster forced his hand away and just walked away. Mikan, worried, didn't follow him for a while and ran off to find Narumi.

"Narumi-sensei!" the brunette yelled. The blonde teacher, hearing his name, turned to face her.

The teacher gave Mikan a puzzled look. "What's wrong, Mikan-chan?"

"I don't know the reason but Natsume's tired. Could you please let him take a break? I'll do any extra credit, sensei." She said, obviously concerned.

The blonde patted Mikan's head and said with stars in his eyes, "Truly what Yuka-senpai would do. Alright, Mikan-chan. I'll allow you two to be excused. Go ahead and tell Natsume-kun."

"You know okaa-san?" Mikan tilted her head to the side innocently. "I guess I'll force sensei to answer all my questions later!" she said, and made a run for it.

"She's definitely Yuka-senpai's replicate." The teacher murmured, then chuckled.

Meanwhile, the brunette was running, searching for her partner. She went back to the tree she had last seen Natsume on and remembered he had walked off when she came to Narumi. She searched for any signs of the fire caster and she saw him on the grass, asleep.

* * *

A/N: Okay, I know this isn't what you've expected. Same goes for me. I already have everything on my mind though the only stuff missing is the documents on word. I'll do my best to make long chapters. I mean, longer than of this one and more interesting. Please give me a week or two to update. And don't hesitate to leave me a review!


	2. Act Ii

In Love with the Jerk

A Gakuen Alice Fanfiction

A/N: Chapter two up! I'd like to thank my first reviewers, Bubbly Sunshine 190, Shimmering, Babylion Sakura and Yesterday's Secrets! I also appreciate the silent readers, but it's not bad to leave a review once in a while~ Thanks also for the alerts and favorites for the story! Love you all~

I've got one more thing to say. This story is more than meets the eye. This **MAY** look like an average love story to you, but I hope you'll read the other parts. Though, I'll admit, they're OOC at some parts. But I claim that it's really needed for the story to progress.

Disclaimer: Disclaimed. I only own the plot and my OC/s one to be revealed in this chapter. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya too; you'll see later.

Beta-ed ~

Recap of events:

Meanwhile, the brunette was running, searching for her partner. She went back to the tree she nullified, and remembered Natsume walked off when she came to Narumi. The nullifier searched for any signs of the fire caster and she saw him on the grass, asleep.

* * *

Act Ii: Partner Activity: First Heartbreak

The brunette then saw 3 ribbons held tightly in the fire caster's fist, and decided to take a glance at the piece of paper in her hand. 'He got the other two colors correct. Maybe I should finish this by myself?' Mikan asked herself. She laughed softly and quietly headed in the other direction to started searching for the remaining four ribbons. As she walked towards a tree with a blue ribbon on it, meaning one of the four colors remaining, namely blue, green, yellow and violet, she saw a familiar face, to which she called to.

"Kyou-kun? Is that you?" Mikan asked, looking at the tall figure ahead of her.

The said figure turned around, revealing his messy, dark blue hair, and his pair of aqua eyes. His irises remained focused upon the brunette as he recalled past event with her. The brunette, instead of dawdling, ran up to the person, hugged him and said, "Kyou-kun, it really is you!"

"Mikan-chan, how did you get in here? I don't recall you telling me that you had an Alice." Kyou asked, obviously taken aback by their sudden meeting.

Mikan smiled at him and said, "Sakura Mikan, Alice of Nullification, from Class 2B!"

"What? Want me to introduce myself again? Or want me to do it like the time we first met?" He said, teasing our favourite brunette. Her face scrunched up in annoyance, and so he just went with it and said, "Tsukuda Kyou, Alice of Materialization and Memory Manipulation, from Class 2C."

"Kyou-kun, you never told me about Memory Manipulation." Mikan pouted childishly up at her sempai.

The blue haired lad looked at her and gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Mikan-chan. I never knew about it too. I only discovered it only after I got here about two years ago. Speaking of which, you owe me some rabbits since Imai-san charged me a lot just to have some information about you."

"Not my fault you transferred so early. And you should be proud of Hotaru! She got the Best Student Award back then!" she said gleefully. "Oh… Where's your partner?"

As if on cue, another blue haired person, only this time, a girl, came running towards their direction.

"Kyou, I got a ribbon!" the girl yelled while holding up her arm in triumph.

Kyou smiled at the girl and said, "That's great, Nobara. And I'd like to introduce to you the elementary friend I was talking about. This is Mikan-chan." He said, motioning of the brunette to come closer.

"I'm Sakura Mikan, from class 2B, Alice of Nullification." Mikan said, looking at the person in front of her.

The girl, with blue hair, curled finely at its tips and gray orbs, looked at Mikan and said, "I-I'm Ibaragi Nobara, from class 2C, Ice Alice…"

"Quite a shy type, Nobara-chan!" Mikan said, and then laughed. "So, you two are pretty close, eh, Kyou-kun?"

Kyou smiled at Mikan and said, "She's my girlfriend, Mikan-chan."

In that instant, the brunette experienced, for the first time at the age of 15, her first heartbreak.

* * *

_FLASHBACK_

_5 YEARS AGO, KOYOUEN GAKUEN _

_A coffee haired girl, not-so-cheery after her best friend Hotaru Imai left, was walking down the hallway, a week after her best friend's departure. Mikan, being in her 'depressed' state, didn't notice the number of people in the hallway or the items, including papers on the floor. She stopped by her locker to drop her books by since she was already done with the assignments for the day. She then switched her shoes and continued to walk down the hallway. _

_As Mikan locked her locker, a boy, a transferee student to Mikan's neighbouring class, namely Kyou Tsukuda, was switching his shoes. As he was locking his locker, he saw the brunette heading towards a bucket. He inferred that the janitor was using this to clean the hallways, since it was already dismissal time. _

"_Hey, brown haired girl!" he yelled, but it was too late. The brunette already tripped and he rushed to where she is, considering he was just 3 feet away. He caught her, but to his surprise, he felt something… 'Like a board', in his opinion. But he went off-balanced and they ended up in an awkward position._

_Blushing furiously, Mikan stood up and helped the boy up also._

"_You should look at where you're going… um…" He trailed off._

"_I-I'm Mikan S-Sakura." She stuttered andavoided looking at the boy though unfortunately for her, the boy questioned her about it._

_Kyou looked at Mikan, perplexed. 'I didn't do anything wrong, right?' he asked himself. "What's wrong, Sakura-san?" He then remembered the part when he tried to save her. He extended his hand to hold hers but instead, he touched some other place __he wasn't supposed to touch__. His eyes widened and he decided to tease the blushing 10-year-old in front of him. _

"_N-nothing, uh…" she trailed off too._

"_Kyou Tsukuda. Anyway, why are yours' flat? Shouldn't they supposed to like, start to develop by now?" he said, obviously enjoying the brunette who was on the verge of exploding from anger._

_Mikan started to yell. "Tsukuda you pervert!" _

"_I was kidding, Sakura-san. I'm sorry." He said, trying his best not to laugh his head off._

"_I don't care! You're still a pervert, Tsukuda!" Mikan shouted, but thought at once, 'He saved me though. I would've fallen hard on the floor if it weren't for him lessening the impact.' The brunette sighed and said while looking away, "And, I'm sorry for yelling at you..."_

_Kyou then picked up her shoe, which had fallen after Mikan tripped, suggesting, "Let's go and get some spare uniforms, Sakura-san." He then kneeled and placed the shoe on Mikan's small foot._

_As days, weeks, and months passed by, Mikan and Kyou became the best of friends despite the fact that 'Tsukuda Kyou was the biggest pervert on Earth'. Mikan soon learned to love him little by little because of his kindness, attitude towards her and all the things she wanted to find in a boy was possessed by Kyou. And after 3 years of their friendship (or one-sided love), Kyou followed Hotaru's footsteps to Alice Academy.._

* * *

BACK TO PRESENT TIME

EASTERN WOODS

"That's great, Kyou-kun!" Mikan said, trying to found as cheerful as possible. "Oh! And look at the time, I have to get back to my partner!" she said, rushing back to where she had found Natsume. 'Oh, darn it! I completely forgot about the ribbon!' she thought and slapped her forehead loudly, and began her journey back to find some other colors.

Unbeknownst to the brunette, the fire caster had been listening to their conversation. Natsume woke up just after Mikan had decided to hunt for ribbons. Her soft laugh had woken him up from his slumber. He was a light-sleeper, much to his advantage or disadvantage.

Mikan got two ribbons in 45 minutes, and was finally down to the last one. Natsume had decided to follow her to watch how she was doing. The brunette decided to get the last ribbon, which was laid carefully on the tree where she met Kyou earlier. She let out a breath as she headed for that direction once again. Natsume quietly followed her and surveyed her as she snatched the ribbon; Mikan nullified the tree and climbed up to the branch on which the ribbon was hanging off.

Mikan made her way down hurriedly, eager to be the first one to finish, but as her left foot slipped, she got hold of the branch. The thin branch she held onto was sturdy, so she positioned herself to go down again, this time, putting more precaution.

She wounded her hand from gripping on the branch suddenly, but carried on to where she found Natsume. The brunette then rushed to where he was 'sleeping' and a wave of shock marred her face when she found no one there.

"Natsume!" she yelled. She whipped her head around in desperation, searching for his figure. A messy, raven-haired, crimson-eyes teenager slowly came into light. "Since when did you-"

"When you left." He cut her off. "Let's go back," Mikan thought that he was _ordering_ her to go back too.

Mikan just murmured 'jerk' loud enough for him to hear. The raven haired 15-year-old shrugged it off, they were back to where the starting point was.

* * *

"_I promise that I'll be the one to offer you a diamond ring. I'll be the one saying I do. I'll be your husband, we'll have kids, and they'll all be named after me too." He raven haired teen said, chuckling._

_The teen beside him laughed. "Nu-uh. I'm never letting you name all our children after you, Natsume. Okay, maybe one then." Her gray orbs were watching the stars as they continued to sit on the grass. She smiled at him and he smirked. That was typical of him. "Oh, and you sounded corny, I'll give you that." _

_The flame caster chuckled and said, "I'm the boy. That's supposed to happen."_

"_What happened to 'Mr. I'm-cool-and-arrogant-and-the-I'm-most-sought-after-boy-in-the-academy'?" The girl laughed._

"_I have no idea who you were talking about, idiot." He answered back._

* * *

The boy suddenly opened his eyes, revealing his crimson orbs. He sighed, looked at the clock, which said 06:07 AM and got up to take a bath. Afterwards, he dressed up, of course not including the uniform tie, yet again, and grabbed 2 mangas from his shelf. He then picked up biscuits and some iced coffee for breakfast before heading to his favourite Sakura tree. On the way there, he saw Mikan, still in her nightgown, playing with a stray black cat. She looked like she was so happy, judging from her smile and radiance. Though after a brief moment, she pouted, and exhaled.

"Hey, kitty cat… They say you're bad luck but I don't think so. I mean, how come Kyou got good luck instead!" she said, while giving it treats. The cat meowed at her and she laughed it off. "Okay, you tell me that I should stop thinking about him."

"Somebody's talking to herself here, eh, Megaphone?" the fire caster said, causing Mikan to jump slightly and accidentally hitting the cat's head. In the end, the cat scratched Mikan and fled.

Mikan threw Natsume a glare, which she failed miserably at, and said, "Look what you did, you jerk! And I was talking to the cat, thank you very much."

"So I gathered as much that you're in love with that Tanaka-something boy from 2C?" he then smirked at her.

"For your information," she said, while standing up and dusting her nightgown, "His name is Tsukuda Kyou. And why the bloody hell do you care, Hyuuga?"

He continued to smirk at her as he thought of a plan. "We're back to last-name basis now. Are we, Megaphone?"

"My name is Sakura Mikan, not Polka-dots, Megaphone, or any other stupid nicknames you can think." Irritation was evident in her voice. "I'd like to go now, thanks to the jerk that made that cat scratch my hand off."

Natsume just shrugged it off again and went to his tree. He then read his manga underneath the shade, as he continued thinking of his plan. Meanwhile, the brunette was storming off to her room and before she knew it, she had already opened the door. Her morning rituals were done and she decided to check her phone. (A/N: Sorry for the sudden interruption, guys. I'm allowing the students to have a cell phone here as a mode of communication in between students only. Calls outside the academy are not allowed. On with the story!) She checked her inbox and found three.

**CHECK NOTIFICATIONS****-BACK**

**Hotawu (1) unread**

**Anna Banana (1) unread**

**Unknown (2) missed calls**

**READ****-DELETE**

Hotawu (+812-584211025)

Sent 6:00 AM

Hey idiot, if you wake up early, I'll have you know that Anna, Nonoko and I'll be eating breakfast early in the cafeteria. Don't wait for me. I know you won't wake up this early anyway.

…

Anna Banana (+812-243250312)

Sent 6:03 AM

Hiya, Mikan-chan! I'll be with Hotaru-chan and Nonoko for breakfast! We'll be stealing her from you for a while! ;) Or I think she already told you? Anyway, consider this text from me and Nonoko. See you in class!

…

+812-184921127

2 missed calls

6: 37 AM

**CALL-****BACK**

…

"Who the heck owns the unknown phone number?" Mikan asked herself. At 7:04, she was already done and she decided to go to the classroom and not interrupt the on-going conversation between 'the three geeky sisters' because she thought she wouldn't understand them anyway. She walked along the hallways, not forgetting to greet the people along the way.

"Mikan-chan!" A voice called.

Mikan looked at her back and said, "Oh, Hi, Kyou-kun! Ohayou!" she greeted, trying to sound as unaffected by yesterday's happening as possible.

"Ohayou, Mikan-chan. Why are you up so early?" he laughed.

Mikan laughed a bit and said, "Oh, nothing. I found myself strolling around the academy and playing with a cat. Speaking of which, how come you never get any bad luck?"

"I'm not superstitious. And cats are my thing; I like taking care of them." He said, as they continued walk along the hallway.

Mikan smiled at him and said, "Wow, most people I know like dogs better than cats." She laughed, and continued, "Anyway, you never informed me of Nobara-chan until yesterday. What gives?"

"'Last postcard I sent you was a year and a half, I think, ago. We started the relationship almost a year ago." Kyou said, answering Mikan's question. He also tried to inform Mikan, half a year ago, but the academy postman was out and the academy only allowed a postcard to be sent to two persons per year.

"Oh! Anyway, good luck in that! I need to go now and see Hotaru too. Ja ne!" Mikan said, and headed to her room.

Kyou waved at her and also said, "See you, Mikan-chan."

Mikan ran off as soon as she heard Kyou's response. She then opened; more like barged through the classroom door, and found no one but a certain flame caster, animal lover, inventor, cook and chemist inside.

"Ohayou, minna!" she greeted.

"Mikan-chan, you're early!" the 'twins', Anna and Nonoko, chorused.

Mikan laughed it off and yelled, "Hotaruuuuuu!" and ran to her best friend. The inventor shot her with the baka gun. "Hey, I wasn't gonna hug you!" Mikan complained.

"You're too obvious, baka." She said. "Anyways, the twins are right, you're early. Anything happened?"

"Awww! Hotaru was worried about me!" Mikan squealed. She noticed the glare Hotaru was giving her and she just said, "Uh, I don't know. I woke up early."

Hotaru looked back to her book, and said, "You better be telling the truth, dummy."

Mikan walked to her seat and faced the two boys. "Ohayou, Natsume and Ruka-pyon!" she greeted, and smiled at them.

"You're so noisy in the morning. Jeez. No wonder I started calling you Megaphone." Natsume said, and laid his head on the desk. He had a sleepless night last night, and was planning on taking a nap during Jinno's blaring.

"_Nu-uh._ I'm just being friendly!" Mikan retorted.

Natsume was taken aback. _"Nu-uh. I'm never letting you name all our children after you, Natsume." _He was suddenly annoyed by the past memory. "Shut up, stupid," was the only thing he could say.

Mikan pouted until she heard Ruka, saying, "Ohayou too, Mikan-chan," while stroking his rabbit.

The brunette then looked at the door, where her other classmates are passing by. They were all hopping in their seats, which probably meant that classes were going to start soon. She got her notes from under her desk and studied it to prepare for their first period, Biology.

A chocolate brown haired man entered the room and greeted the class "Ohayou." The class greeted him back and he then placed some stuff on top of the desk. He then spoke, after Mikan started to doze off since studying made her sleepy, and said, "No classes tomorrow, you'll all be back 8AM on Friday. Am I clear?" The class nodded in agreement, except for a certain someone, namely Mikan. The said person woke up after hearing something about allele, dominant, recessive, and some more boring stuff about genetics.

* * *

As soon the bell rang, signaling the end of classes, Mikan bid goodbye to her classmates and ran straight to her room. She didn't want to encounter Kyou and she wanted to get rid of her assignments as soon as possible. The brunette changed her clothes, finished most of her assignments in about an hour and a half, and went the fridge and got some ice cream. As she ate, she decided to rummage through her stuff, and got a small notebook which was apparently her journal, and opened it.

_Dear Journal._

_Mikan is_ _here! I can't believe okaa-san bought me this as a gift for my 10th birthday! This was a reaaaaally happy day! I celebrated it with mom, Hotaru, Anna-chan, Nonoko-chan and all of my friends!_

The brunette laughed and thought, 'I should've known that I should use the comma instead of period.' She flipped a few more pages and read it again.

_Dear Journal,_

_ I can't believe it! My __**closest **__friends are Alices, and they have to go to a school named Alice Academy! The rumours said that when you study there, you can't go out until certain holidays (I'm not sure, okay?) or I think uh… until graduation from High School? Still, that's too long! And look, now Nonoko-chan and Anna-chan, being twins, were found out! See, they're just 10! What if Hotaru gets taken there too? Noooooo! I don't want to be alone! Help meeeeee! Oh, wait, you can't help me, right? :/_

_See you next time I write._

_ Love lots, _

_Mikan_

Mikan then flipped another two pages and started to read again.

_Dear Journal,_

_ I've been so busy at school and now Hotaru left. It's been a really bad week for me and I've been missing her a lot. I want to follow her but okaa-san said I shouldn't. But you know what? I met Tsukuda Kyou. He's been really nice to me, you know? Though I hate what happened when we met. It was really embarrassing, as in __**really **__embarrassing. Anyway, he's really a gentleman and such… _

Mikan smiled at what she's reading. It's been five long years since she got the journal, and she still had it now. She had a few pages left, and she decided to write about her first three days in the academy.

After she wrote, she finished her assignment and decided to sleep.

After what seemed like so long, she woke up at 4am. Mikan was quite dizzy, since she only slept for around 3 hours and a half. The only problem was that she couldn't sleep already. The brunette decided to eat the remaining ice cream she didn't finish the night before. After finishing the contents, she placed it on the sink and stared at the clock. She then exited her room, not before getting her journal and bringing it with her, and went outside again, for some unknown reason.

"The sun isn't even up yet." Mikan said, and sighed. The said brunette then sat down at the base of the tree. That was when sandman decided to let her sleep, which in Mikan's opinion, was annoying.

* * *

"-ka… -lka…" Mikan stirred. She opened her eyes slowly and looked at the person in front of her. The brunette rubbed her eyes and asked, "Hyuuga, why are you here?"

"I thought you were already calling me Natsume?" the raven asked.

Mikan crossed her arms at her chest and said, "I _was_ calling you that. I decided to call you Hyuuga because you keep on calling me stupid nicknames." She stood up, "oh shoot. What time is it?" while panicking.

He fire caster looked at his watch and said, "9:30, why?"

"I'm late for classes!" she yelled. The brunette then ran, or at least tried to, since the raven haired teen caught her hand.

"You're such an idiot." He said, still not letting go of the brunette, and continued, "We don't have classes, weren't you listening during Biology?"

Mikan scratched her head with her free hand, "Uh… I fell asleep? I think? I dunno. I was reading, and when I came to be, Misaki-sensei was saying something about genetics."

"Stupid." The raven haired teen insulted.

The brunette then glared at him for the insult, but again, failed, and ended up making herself 'cute', in an ordinary person's perspective. But for Natsume, well… "Stop that, you look ugly, Megaphone."

"You are such a meanie!" Mikan yelled, and stormed off to her room, letting her hand free from Natsume's grasp.

Natsume then noticed something below the ground. It was a pink notebook with 3 orange flowers as its design. Then he noticed the name, 'Mikan Sakura' written in red ink. He knew it was a journal, because his sister, Aoi, had something like the notebook he was holding. The fire caster opened it, read Mikan's first entry, and skipped, reading only the dates he was interested in. He did that until one name caught his attention, 'Kyou Tsukuda'

Mikan, on the other hand, was lying down on her bed. That day, she decided to go to central town, then to the mini-garden at the back of the middle school division building. She called Hotaru, Anna and Nonoko so that they could spend time together, and so that she could be toured around it. After almost five years of being separated, Mikan was able to go into the academy with them, so she was really excited when she heard a yes from Anna and Nonoko, and even though Hotaru said she'll come only if Mikan bought her a new screwdriver.

The brunette then took a bath and dressed up, since they were going to meet at the bus stop at 10. It was already 9:30 when she finished, and she knew that Hotaru wasn't someone who tolerates waiting for someone who's late. Mikan ran to the bus stop, purposely skipping out breakfast, so she could eat with her friends when they arrived.

* * *

Their central town outing went by fast, since they were enjoying themselves, the inventor included, though she decided to not show it. Mikan bid them goodbye at around 5:30, so they pretty much spent 7 hours and a half going shopping, talking, eating, and best friend stuff, of course getting Howalon, her favourite candy which she first tasted when Hotaru sent it to her, before parting ways. The brunette then headed for the garden, and decided to sit down a bench. She opened the box of Howalon and decided to eat one.

"I missed you, Howaloooooooooon!" she exclaimed, and giggled softly. The brunette took a bite, and savoured the taste. Then, she ate the remaining bite quickly, because 'it was a candy from heaven' as she put it.

"Megaphone's talking to another object, I take it?" Natsume asked, popping out of the exit for the building.

Mikan looked at him, surprised, and said, "Why are you here?"

"This place doesn't belong to you, Polka-dots." He smirked at her.

"Pervert!" Mikan yelled. She then hit Natsume on the shoulder, and the fire caster just smirked at her, for the **n**th time already.

"Is that all you've got, Megaphone?" he asked, purposely irritating her.

Mikan then smacked him again on the shoulder, and yelled, "If you're just going to annoy me, you better go and leave, Hyuuga!" and sat on the bench was sat at a while ago.

"I'm being a good person here." He said, the 'stupid smirk' in Mikan's opinion, was still plastered on his face.

Mikan looked at him as if she wanted to strangle him, and retorted, "You? A good person! Are you kidding me, Hyuuga?"

"Look what I've got here then, Megaphone." He then lifted _her journal_ in front of her. But before Mikan could grab it, he raised it over his head, which made Mikan more annoyed, since she was about 3-4 inches shorter than him.

"Give it back." She hissed, with her voice laced with venom.

Natsume, for the I-don't-know-how- many th time, smirked at her, and offered her a deal. The brunette's eyes widened at this, and of course she couldn't say no. After all, she didn't want Kyou, or rather the whole school to know about it; but that one single 'yes' which came from her mouth started all of this.

* * *

_Dear Journal,_

_ This is my third day in Alice Academy! It was really fun, especially the second day. Even though Hyuuga was such a pain-in-the-butt, I was reunited with Kyou! Sad to say, for those two years he was gone, he found himself a girlfriend. Should I still continue these feelings of mine? Argh, I don't know! But you know what? They say that if they're not meant to be, they'll fall apart, but heck, I saw how Kyou reacted with Nobara-chan, and I must say… he loves her! Ouch. Okay, I'm being too dramatic here. But hey; I'm fifteen, so it's normal… I guess? –Insert sarcastic laugh here- okay, I'm going nuts. Anyway, I want you to keep this as a secret! _

_ Will write again if Kyou loves me back already, HAHA! I was kidding. I'll write again when something happens, okay, I know something happens every day, but I meant I'll write if um… there's some stuff, could be good or bad (hopefully not) that happens!_

_ Love Lots,_

_ Mikan xx_

A/N: Okay! The story's gonna start the next chapter! I mean, the main story will get started. So it's like chapter 1 and 2 are both prologues? XD Anyway, the last journal entry was the page that Mikan didn't want to get leaked. I'm getting excited about the next chapter. Oh, and I'm gonna say I need reviews coming. I'm getting more hyped up, but I don't want my work and my beta reader's work to go to waste. I won't update unless I get about 5 or more. Sorry if I sounded demanding, but _**please **_don't hesitate to leave a review!

Oranges and Strawberries logging out, see you next chapter!

_BETA by Shimmering :D Working on the 4th chap, been way too busy. Gomen! xx (31/5/12)_


	3. Act Iii

In Love with the Jerk

A Gakuen Alice Fanfiction

A/N: Thanks to MinniePie for the review on my first chapter, and to Glowing Choco and HyuugaHaruka for the review on my second chapter. Anyway, thanks for adding this story in your favorites and alerts list! And to those who added me in their favorites too~

I've got one more thing to say. This story is more than meets the eye. This **MAY** look like an average love story to you, but I hope you'll read the other parts. Though, I'll admit, they're OOC at some parts. But I claim that it's really needed for the story to progress.

Disclaimer: Disclaimed. I only own the plot and Kyou Tsukuda. Other OC's in other chapters.

**Beta-ed.**

* * *

Recap of Events:

Natsume, for the I-don't-know-how- many th time, smirked at her, and offered her a deal. The brunette's eyes widened at this, and of course she couldn't say no. After all, she didn't want Kyou, or rather the whole school to know about it; but that one single 'yes' which came from her mouth started all of this.

* * *

Act Iii: The Deal: Central Town **m**eal

_"Look what I've got here then, Megaphone." He then lifted her journal in front of her. But before Mikan could grab it, he raised it over his head, which made Mikan more annoyed, since she was about 3-4 inches shorter than him._

_"Give it back." She hissed, with her voice laced with venom._

_Natsume still didn't let Mikan touch her own journal. He then said, "Why would I, Megaphone? I've got a proposal, which would benefit the both of us. Besides, we hate each other so I know it'll be alright."_

"_Why on Earth would I ever agree to have a deal with you?" she hissed._

"_Simple. I'll read, through the intercom, the pages of the journal wherein you 'tell' your journal that you have feelings for that Tsukuda." He smirked at her reaction, and continued, "From what it looks like, he already has a girlfriend, too."_

_Mikan's hazel irises widened. She looked at him, flabbergasted, and said, "I cannot believe you just read that." As the truth was dawning upon her, she said, "Okay, you did. Now get to your point, Hyuuga. Faster, before I decide to kick your groin."_

"_Be my girl." He said nonchalantly._

* * *

The brunette's right eye twitched, ever so slightly, as she resisted the urge to slap the smirk off Natsume's face. But she decided to keep her peace and said, "No. Tell me, what would you benefit from it?"

"…Ibaragi Nobara." He said, paused for a brief moment, and continued, "She was my girl. Until that damn Tsukuda took her away from me."

"What? Kyou-kun would never mess up a relationship!"

He silenced her with a deadly stare. "I was the one who broke up with her. But it was his entire damn fault why I did that, Megaphone."

"You were still the one who broke up with her."

"I was, I admit. But who was the person I saw him kissing the cheek of? It was my girlfriend then, currently my past girlfriend, and my ex. It was Nobara." He said, countering her. Mikan looked at him, as if asking, 'He really did that?', and he just nodded and said, "You'll be getting that bastard Tsukuda if Nobara gets jealous of us."

"Why on Earth would you get Nobara-chan? Didn't you break up with her already? So she **doesn't** love you anymore."

The brunette's words stung him. He glared at her again and said, "Didn't you understand, you idiot? I broke up with her. I saw Tsukuda kissing her cheek. There's still a chance that she does share the same feelings with me."

"You're actually serious about a girl… I can't believe it, Hyuuga." Mikan raised her hand to her chest.

The raven haired teen just ignored the gesture, "so, is it a deal?"

"I'm only saying yes because of your stupid blackmail, Hyuuga. Give my journal back, now. You got your yes already."

"No can do. You might back out once I return it… babe."

"Darn it, Hyuuga! When do I get it back then?" She snapped.

The fire caster had his stoic face once more. "Once the plan succeeds,"

"I'm leaving. You're such a jerk." Mikan huffed as she stalked away, with her tail between her legs.

"We're starting this tomorrow, Megaphone. No backing out or you'll know the consequences." Natsume said, and walked away the opposite direction, but turned around when Mikan wasn't looking and followed her.

The brunette then walked to her room, carrying the stuff she bought from central town, trying to calm herself down. She just put into mind that she could get Kyou and if she didn't do this, her journal would be read through the intercom. Guilt suddenly surged through her veins, and thought, 'I'm sorry, Kyou-kun… If you really love Nobara-chan…' With the overwhelming guilt, she made it to her room and fixed the things she bought on the table, drank 2 glasses of milk, and went to take a bath. At the same time, Natsume happened to pass by her room, which was by the way, unlocked. He peered inside. He saw Mikan's cell phone lying around, so he fiddled with it until she got out.

"Y-you Peeping Tom! What are you doing here?" She nearly screamed, forgetting the fact that she was only clad in a towel.

"Your door was unlocked."

"Okay, do what you want." And with that, the brunette, only covering her body with a towel, was pinned on the wall by a certain Natsume Hyuuga.

"Let go of me, you bloody pervert!" She yelled.

"You told me I can do whatever I want."

The brunette then retorted back with a faint blush on her cheeks, "No, not in that sense, you idiot!"

"I'm not an idiot not to know that, Polka-dots." He told her. He then backed away from her and said, "If this plan fails, I'll really give this to the broadcasting division of the student council."

"Okay, okay. Now the rules, please?" She mentally slapped and stole the journal from him.

Natsume then saw a glass on her table next to some milk. He headed towards it and poured some milk on the glass. He then drank about half of the glass and said, "One, share your blessings."

"The hell, Hyuuga?"

"Okay, kidding. Anyway, from the start… First is regarding kissing, I'll kiss you anytime and anywhere, just to let them know that we're 'together'." Natsume said, while eyeing her. He waited for her reaction.

"I am _not_ stupid enough into letting you molest me wherever you like, Hyuuga. No kissing."

"It's a girlfriend-boyfriend thing, babe." He drained the milk with a faint smirk tugging at the corners of his perfect lips and Mikan tried not to look. "Second, No falling in love, Mi-kan."

"Why on Earth would I, creep?"

"You'll never know, love. Third is calling me Natsume."

"I was calling you that, until you decided to become such a jerk and offering me this stupid, unreasonable deal." Mikan looked at him, her expression reading 'I do not like any of this, not one bit.'

"Fourth, do whatever I tell you to do. Your journal is at stake, remember that." He told her, and put the glass back on the table.

Mikan walked past him, and headed to her room to change. She was annoyed, irritated, pissed off, you name it. She was like a walking bomb when Natsume was around, who seemed like his entire existence was to piss her off. When she was done changing, she walked to the table, and found Natsume there.

"Seriously, you wear Strawberry pattern? At 15?" he asked, eyeing her.

Mikan's face was turning red, from embarrassment and anger. She didn't just go, change, and then some oh-so-handsome-but-bloody-pervert peeked at her. The brunette couldn't believe the raven's actions and just yelled, "GET OUT, YOU PERVERT!"

Natsume just shrugged it off and did as he was told. He was getting sleepy anyway, so he decided to leave her be… for now.

* * *

The next day, Alice Academy's classes 2A and 2B had their classes, and a brunette was storming the hallways at 8:21 am. As usual, Mikan Sakura was late. She opened the door a little, and found out that Narumi was even later than her. She slumped in her seat in relief and noticed that Natsume wasn't there either. He was later than she was! After a few moments, the blonde haired teacher arrived and started homeroom.

Lunch time came, and Natsume still wasn't there. Mikan just ignored it and decided to eat her lunch. When classes were about to start, the brunette tried to kill time. She got her phone and opened it, only being surprised because a message was sent to her… during class hours.

**CHECK NOTIFICATIONS****-BACK**

**Hyuuga N (1) Unread**

**Read**** – Delete**

Hyuuga N (+812-184921127)  
Sent: 10:43 am

Megaphone, go to the bus stop for central town. Now.

…

'What the heck is this?' she asked herself. She then got up and excused herself to go to the bathroom. She ran across the hallways and entered the bathroom, and dialed Natsume's number.

"_What?"_

"Don't what me, Hyuuga. Why on earth would I go to Central Town?"

"_Rule number 4, babe. Come on, I've been here for hours."_

"_We_ still have afternoon classes, you idiot!"

"_I don't care. Now get yourself here or I'll make you. If I don't see you in a few minutes I might accidentally let one of the members of the Broadcasting Team get ahold of this..." _Mikan could practically see his smirk on the other side of the phone.

"Jeez, okay. I'm going."

…

The brunette, again, dashed across the hallway to 2B's room, noticing that 2C and 2D don't have their classes today. She thought that it's was really going to happen because of the lack of faculty and staff. Not minding that, she barged in their room and got her bag.

"Please tell them I'm about to die of amnesia." She said, as she ran outside of their room.

"_Doesn't she mean anemia?" _the class all thought, and the brunette's best friend found it really strange.

'The dummy's still bad at lying.' The inventor thought.

* * *

Natsume was sitting on a tree's branch. Strangely enough, it wasn't _his_ Sakura tree. He was waiting for _his date_ so they could go to central town. Mikan appeared after 5 minutes, and he decided to surprise her. The fire-caster jumped off the tree and landed in front of Mikan.

"What on Earth, Hyuuga!" Mikan yelled, obviously surprised.

"I told you I'd wait for you here. Now hurry up, I've been waiting for hours, Megaphone." He said then walked off.

Mikan ran after him, "you call me to go with you and you leave me here! What a jerk."

The bus ride took a few minutes. Natsume was the first one to go down. Around this time, he was already dragging Mikan. Today was a Saturday, and class 2A and 2B were the only ones in the Middle School division having classes. Seeing that there are 4 classes, Natsume took his precaution against deranged fan girls of his in the other sections.

"Stop dragging me, Hyuuga!" Mikan yelled, and continued, "I have two feet and I can walk on my own."

"First of all, second rule, and second, I don't want fan girls mobbing me." He said, continuing to drag the brunette.

Mikan looked at the raven-haired teen as if she saw something disgusting. She then retorted, "I'm going to get killed and it'll be all your fault, _Natsume_."

"Then pretend to be my girlfriend and hold my hand."

The brunette did as she was told. She held hands with Natsume, and matched his pace. She swore he could her swearing, hissing and cursing. "Where are we going anyway?" she asked, still clueless to where they were heading.

"Arcade."

* * *

Once the two arrived, Natsume stopped. "Well thanks for accompanying me here, _Mikan_."

Mikan felt her heart skip a beat. Her name coming out of his mouth was rare, and what made it priceless was him saying it with his husky voice. But she snapped out of it when she realized what he meant. "You insensitive jerk! You made me skip classes just to accompany you?" she yelled.

"Why? Did you want to make this into an official date?" He said, and then gave Mikan his smirk. "You could've said so."

"No, _Natsume_. And wipe that stupid smirk out of your face."

Mikan had this effect on Natsume wherein whenever she said his name; it was meant for her to say. Natsume was denying the fact, since he was really stubborn. Typical of him. Natsume couldn't help but smirk more but the smirk vanished when he saw Mikan looking at two blue haired teens playing DDR. Once the song ended, the boy took a swig of water and turned at their direction.

'Great. Just great.' Natsume mumbled.

"Kyou-kun!" Mikan yelled as a greeting, while the flame caster next to her was glaring at the blue haired teen.

"Hiya, Mikan-chan. I see you've brought Hyuuga-kun with you today." He said, as he ran to the two teenagers.

Mikan then nodded and said, "Yeah, I did."

Kyou then motioned for a friendly hug with her. They hadn't spoken to each other for so long. Maybe they did, but it was quick 'hi' or 'hello' only. Mikan then nodded again and was about to hug him when a raven haired flame caster got ahold of Mikan's hand and led her away from Kyou.

"She's mine, Tsukuda. Back off." Natsume said, fighting the urge to smack the blue haired teen's face.

Kyou then looked dumbfounded. "Mikan-chan, since when did you have a boyfriend?"

Mikan was about to answer that she never did when a sweet icy-blue haired girl approached Kyou. Mikan was thankful that Nobara arrived, but it just made things a lot more awkward.

"Hello, Mikan-chan…" Nobara soft voice trailed off, as she was looking at her _ex _holding Mikan's hand. "…and to Natsume-kun too."

"Hi, Nobara-chan!" Mikan greeted gleefully.

"N-Natsume-kun… Are you and Mikan-chan _together_?"

Natsume gripped Mikan's hand tightly, "yeah, we are."

Nobara smiled a little as her eyes softened. "Really? That's great!" She was interrupted by the chorus of 'Barbie Girl' and she blushed deep crimson. "Sorry, I've got to take this."

"Well, that's our cue. See you next time then! We have a group project to make." Kyou said, and ran to where _his girlfriend _was heading.

Natsume's fist balled. He was downright angry with himself. He let go of Mikan's hand, which were going to have blue bruises the next day or so, and just walked away from the arcade. The brunette, instead of yelling at the raven haired teen, felt pity and sadness well up inside her. For once she just got her bag and walked silently out of the arcade.

"Hey." She said quietly when she caught up to Natsume.

"What are you still doing here? You're free to go now for today." He hissed, his bangs covering his eyes.

Mikan tried to think of something to say to lighten the mood up. "Just to make things clear… Okay, I'm going to help you-"

"We already have a deal. Of course you are."

"-without thinking on what I'll have as a reward. I want happy endings, _Natsume_."

Natsume was not the person to be surprised easily, but Mikan caught him off guard. He stopped walking and told her, "I don't need your delusions, Megaphone." He told her coldly. But he really appreciated Mikan's effort.

The brunette just smiled at him despite his cold reply. "Insult me all you want, jerk. Now come on, because you made me skip afternoon classes, you need to treat me to lunch."

Natsume couldn't help but break the 'I-don't-give-a-damn' act. "Fine. Just stop being so loud, it's irritating me." He said as a small curve formed on his lips.

"Is that a smile I see coming?"

"No, you idiot. I'm frowning." He said with his voice drowning in sarcasm.

Mikan had to admit that she had fun with someone who she thought of as an enemy. Sure, he was still a total jerk, but she saw a good side of Natsume that day. She thought it would be best if she cracked Natsume's tough shell to get him to talk about the messy break-up with Nobara. Mikan was indeed a saint, that is, if she ever felt something for Natsume.

'Hyuuga isn't such a bad person after all…'

* * *

A/N: I know it's short. Sorry to the readers. I've been really busy last April, and I've been way too affected by the new chapters of GA. I hate being a fangirl. The new chapters are bad of my heart XD. Gonna stop ranting now. I also had to cut it here. Question too. Would Koko's PoV in the next chapter be a good idea? Anyways, until next time!

Leave a review? Constructive criticisms accepted.

Oranges and Strawberries~

Want to change my pen name to Crimson Tangerines. XD

5/2/12

Beta Note - Koko rocks. I would totally beta a chapter of his point of view anytime.

Cri: Koko's PoV on later chapters. Person with a mind-reading alice rocks XD Anyway. Working on 4! (31/5/12)


	4. Short AN, TBD on Act Iv release

A very short AN.

Hi guys, I'm back. I'm really sorry for not updating. I won't discontinue this story, I'll give you that. But Junior year is annoying. Anyways, I'm continuing chapter 4 right now and I'll delete this Author's note when I post the fourth chapter. I'm sorry guys and I promise I'll make it up to you all! :D I'll be working on the fourth chapter before my assignments because I'm guiltyyyy. So see you soon~!

Love,

Oranges and Strawberries. xx


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